Anthropometric study of the nose in a student population

Abstract

Background: Human nose differs in its anatomy and morphology among different racial and ethnic groups. Objective: The objective of this study was to establish and compare the nasal parameters of male and female subjects in a student population. Materials and Methods: Five hundred (500) subjects were selected at random comprising 250 males and 250 females. The ages of the subject ranged from 18 years to 25 year. Nasal heights, breadths, and pronasal distances were measured using a Mitutoyo manual vernier caliper. The nasal indices were calculated. Result: The mean heights of the nose in males and females were 4.61 ± 0.58 cm and 4.30 ± 0.54 cm, respectively. The mean breadths of the nose in males and females were 4.12 ± 0.52 cm and 3.68 ± 0.46 cm, respectively. The mean pronasal distances of the nose in males and females were 1.86 ± 0.23 cm and 1.72 ± 0.22 cm, respectively. The mean nasal index of the nose in the males and females were 89.95 ± 11.26 and 85.71 ± 10.76, respectively. The result showed sexual dimorphism, with significantly higher values of all the parameters in males compared to the females ( P Conclusion: The result of the study showed that the mean nasal index of the subjects irrespective of their ethnic groups falls within the nose type platyrrhine.